


The Festival of Lights

by RejectsCanon



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (kinda Aang gets sad but he gets hugs almost immediately), Aang and Sokka will give him those hugs, Attempt at Humor, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, I meant for this to be short and fluffy but then it got kinda long oops, If I missed someone I'm sorry, Post-Canon, Sokka likes to give Zuko hugs change my mind, Zuko needs and deserves lots of hugs, but go wild with your own interpretations im not gonna stop you, don't mind me just making up my own Fire Nation lore and history, headcanon that Zuko and Bumi are best buds and you can't change my mind, i think that's everyone? - Freeform, i tried guys, is Zuko's mother dead here? its kinda implied but who knows, lots of hugs, maybe a year or so after the show ends, no romantic relationships overtly stated (expect for Aang and Katara), some light cursing, the Avatar renaissance is the best thing to come from 2020, the fire nation loves Zuko and Zuko loves them, you can pry the suki/zuko friendship from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RejectsCanon/pseuds/RejectsCanon
Summary: It starts, like most things concerning Zuko do, with Aang innocently mentioning it during one of his visits to the Fire Nation.“You know what would be cool for you to start again, Zuko?” Aang says while playing with the turtleducks.“What would that be, Aang?” Zuko asks, sitting up from his slouch and crossing his legs.“The lantern festival,” Aang says.Or,Aang shares with Zuko a bit of his past, and Zuko decides to bring back an age-old celebration. Loosley based off the time my friend and I went to a Tangled-esque lantern festival one year because we had both lost some important people, and it was beautiful.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, Zuko & Happiness, Zuko & The Fire Nation (Avatar)
Comments: 79
Kudos: 1086
Collections: avatar tingz





	The Festival of Lights

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was going through my phone one day and found some pictures and videos from when my best friend and I went to a lantern festival a few years ago. I got inspired to write this after thinking it was something that the Fire Nation would plausibly celebrate to honor their pasts. Any mistakes, typos, etc, are my own. Enjoy!

It starts, like most things concerning Zuko do, with Aang innocently mentioning it during one of his visits to the Fire Nation. 

“You know what would be cool for you to start again, Zuko?” Aang says while playing with the turtleducks. He and Zuko are sitting by the pond, cooling down after a light sparring session. Zuko is sitting under a tree in the shade, watching as Aang plays with the water, entertaining the turtleducks. They’re the only ones of their friend group currently in the Fire Nation, with Katara and Sokka working on repairing communications between the North and South Pole, Toph is wreaking havoc on the Earth Kingdom (the last Zuko heard, she was trying to bully King Kuei into changing some age-old regulations involving earth bending, so Zuko’s sure she still has her hands full), and Suki is back on Kyoshi Island training her new recruits. Time spent alone with Aang these days feels peaceful, and Zuko is taking full advantage of this rare moment to relax.

“What would that be, Aang?” Zuko asks, sitting up from his slouch and crossing his legs.

“The lantern festival,” Aang says. Zuko makes a questioning noise, furrowing his brow. Aang looks over to him, sees his confusion, and bounds over to Zuko’s side. “I only saw it once when I was younger. Kuzon invited me to the Fire Nation one year to celebrate this thing he called ‘The Festival of Lights’. He said it was a way to remember the ones people have lost and send their wishes to the Spirits. I remember the whole day was like a regular festival, with parties and music and everything. But then as soon as the sun started setting, everyone got really quiet and pulled out these paper lanterns. Kuzon told me people would attach mementos of their loved ones, or write their hopes and wishes on the paper to symbolize remembering or asking the spirits for help. Then, once the sun was set, the Fire Sages made a speech about honoring what we’ve lost and looking towards the future. I think the Fire Lord lit the first lantern and then the people followed after.” 

Aang’s face has taken on the soft, melancholy look it often did when he talked about his past. His voice had gotten softer as he spoke, full of reverence and an undertone of sadness. Zuko was fascinated, listening to Aang describe something that seemed so different than what he grew up with. 

“It was beautiful,” Aang continues, his voice now taking on a note of wonder. “Watching all of those lanterns light up the sky and knowing they all represented something important to the people releasing them. It was so peaceful and quiet, too. No one said anything for a few minutes and we all just watched the lanterns fly away. Eventually, when most of them had gone over the sea or had gone so high you could only see a ball of light, people started talking again, and the music picked back up. But for those few moments, it felt like nothing bad could happen in the world.” 

Zuko’s breath catches and the two of them sit in silence for a few moments, just listening to the sounds of the nature around them. “That sounds beautiful, Aang,” Zuko whispers a few minutes later. “I’ve never even heard of such a thing before. But it sounds… it sounds like something that needs to be brought back.” 

“I didn’t mean to sound like such a downer,” Aang says, smiling sheepishly. “It wasn’t as sad as it sounds. From what I remember, everyone was so happy and lively during it. It really was a celebration of life, if you break it down to its bare essentials.” 

“I don’t think it sounded sad,” Zuko says, shaking his head and looking up at the sky. “It sounds just like something we need after the end of a war. Something to remember what we’ve lost, but also something that looks forward to the future.” 

“Something that makes our hope stronger,” Aang says, voice strong and looking Zuko head-on. 

Zuko nods, looking right back at Aang. “Something that makes our hope stronger.”

____________

Zuko doesn’t forget, far from it. It’s at the back of his mind all the time; while he’s reading reports, when he’s listening to outdated generals give their outdated opinions, and when he’s trying to sleep at night. He spends more of his sleepless nights than he’d care to admit roaming the palace library and searching for anything he can find about ‘The Festival of Lights’. He doesn’t find much, only finds one scroll deep in the back of the library from before Sozin’s time, stating that it would often take place sometime during the beginning of Spring when the sun is beginning to become stronger after the winter months, and to symbolize new beginnings. No real description of how the festival was conducted, or the schematics of it. 

Zuko doesn’t see Aang and the others as often as he would like, but they all remain in regular contact through letters. Anytime Zuko finds something new, he writes to Aang and keeps him updated. He wants Aang to know that no matter how slow going it may seem to Zuko, Zuko is still researching and still plans on reviving the old festival. Aang reminds Zuko that it’s only been two months since their conversation, _‘and besides, spring has already passed this year so it would have to wait anyway’_. Katara tells him she thinks it’s a lovely idea that would help to bring the nations together; _‘a chance to mourn collectively and be given hope that the future is bright_. _’_ Sokka tells him that the next time he’s in the Fire Nation he’ll help Zuko research since _‘clearly there’s a reason I’m the idea guy, you’ll need my expert research and planning skills.’_ Toph tells him during one of her visits it sounds mushy and _‘full of emotions but the Fire Nation needs some ooey-gooey emotions so let’s do it’._

Zuko still doesn’t have much to go on other than what Aang told him though, so he asks Uncle about it during one of his short visits from Ba Sing Se. Uncle tells him he doesn’t know anything about the festival either, but when Zuko recounts what Aang said, Uncle tears up. 

“Do you think it’s something we should do? Do you think the people will like it? That it will benefit them like Aang and I think it will?” Zuko asks. He won’t admit it out loud, but he really wants to know that Uncle believes this will be as good as Zuko thinks it has the potential to be.

Uncle seems to know anyway. “You have always done what you think is best for your people, nephew. So, what do you think reviving this festival will do?” 

Zuko pauses. “I think… I think it will give us all a space to mourn for what we’ve lost, when many people are simply trying to forget. And I think it will give us the ability to look more strongly towards the future.” 

Uncle smiles brightly at him, “Then I believe this is something that will benefit us all greatly.” 

Zuko doesn’t have nearly enough time as he would like to devote to researching it, though, so he asks the palace librarian, Shi, if she can try and find anything for him. She seems shocked at first, but recovers quickly and promises to try and find something. Zuko’s just happy she didn’t cower and immediately swear to find everything possible, but instead very candidly tells him that she’s never heard of such a thing, but she’ll look around in places that Zuko already hasn’t. A few weeks later, she comes to his office with exactly three scrolls. 

“I’m sorry, Fire Lord Zuko, but this was all I could find that seemed similar to what you were describing,” she says, placing the scrolls on his desk and bowing lowly. Zuko cringes inwardly, at the quiet, unsure voice and low bow, but knows that it’s progress from what could have been the reaction of not providing him exactly what the Fire Lord asked for. _At least they don’t cower and kneel anymore when things out of their control go wrong,_ Zuko tells himself. _Or act shocked that I remember their names._

“Ah, that’s alright, Shi, thank you for looking and finding anything at all,” Zuko says, giving her a small smile. Zuko reaches for the first scroll as Shi stands from her bow, looking more comfortable. 

“I’m afraid that one is just an old poster, My Lord. There’s not really any information on it.” 

Zuko raises his eyebrows, immediately intrigued. He unrolls it and his eyes widen at the vibrant art that greets him. “This is perfect, actually. Thank you again, Shi,” Zuko tells her. She nods back at him, murmuring a quiet ‘you’re welcome, sir’, looking surprised as she turns to leave. 

Zuko reads through the scrolls Shi gave him. One is the poster with its beautiful art, showing the lanterns lighting the night sky with the words at the bottom proclaiming ‘Honor the past. Celebrate the future’. One scroll is the legislation from Sozin banning the festival as ‘frivolous’, ‘childish’ and ‘unnecessary’. The last one seems to be more of a personal journal entry, detailing the day of the festival from one of the old Fire Sage’s perspectives. 

_“Today is the day we will honor those we have lost, honor their memory, and ask the Spirits to guide them in the afterlife. Today we will look toward the future, asking the Spirits to guide us and show us the paths we are meant to take to further ourselves.”_

The next morning Zuko issues a decree stating that the festival will no longer be outlawed. No one fights him on it, because to be frank, no one really knows what he’s talking about anyway and Zuko’s tone of voice leaves no room for argument. Later that night, sitting in his bed, rereading some letters for tomorrow’s morning meeting, Zuko starts planning. 

Once Zuko has a general plan of action (clear his schedule for the first few days of Spring, inform the public on the festival, contact food vendors and shop owners and musicians so they can prepare ahead of time, issue a blanket invite to the other nations making it clear that whoever wants to come is welcome, and making reasonably sure they will have enough lanterns), he goes to the Fire Sages and asks their advice. Zuko explains what he’s learned of the festival, and what he hopes to accomplish. He gives the Sages all the documents he has, lets them read about it for themselves. He tells them how Aang described it, the feeling of peace he says it brought him. At first, he’s met with shock and perhaps a little apprehension. However, Shyu, the same Sage who not long ago risked his life to help Aang speak to Avatar Roku, comes to Zuko’s aid. 

“We were always meant to be loyal to the Avatar first, and the Fire Nation second. If Avatar Aang remembers this festival to be a time of healing and honoring the Spirits in all their forms, I believe this may be worthwhile,” Shyu says. “Besides, this seems like a tradition that should be brought back, especially in this time of peace after so long without.” 

One by one, the Fire Sages nod and agree to help Zuko plan for the festival. “We offer you our support with this, Fire Lord Zuko,” Shyu says as Zuko prepares to leave. “I feel this may be even more meaningful than you may think.” 

Zuko leaves thinking that this will work, and even if it doesn’t touch his people like he’s hoping it will, at the very least it will provide a welcome day of rest for everyone. But still, Zuko hopes that this will bring his people, and all who participate, a stronger sense of peace.

____________

One of the first things Zuko makes certain is that his friends are tentatively free for the first week of Spring in the Fire Nation. He’s man enough to admit (at least to himself) that he wants them there for moral support. The Fire Sages are adamant that Zuko makes a speech about how, Fire Nation tradition or not, this is meant for all the nations, for all to come together during a time of peace and encourage harmony amongst the nations. Despite his time as Fire Lord, and how many public speeches he’s made since, it still wracks Zuko’s nerves. And this one, one that won’t just be said to whatever nobles are in the room, one that will be said to everyone. To all of his people, to all of those from other nations who come, where the world will be judging his words. He wants it to be perfect, and he knows that having his friends there will help. 

Of course, he won’t ever tell _them_ that, but he’ll admit it to himself. 

Aang swears he’ll be there, no matter what: _‘There’s no way I’m missing out on something I haven’t seen in 100 years, Zuko. Besides, having the Avatar there will really mean something to people, I think.’_ Katara reminds him that for the most part, _‘where Aang goes, I go_ ’ and tells him that she’ll be there. Sokka tells him that he’ll be there two weeks ahead of time: _‘someone’s gotta help you with last-minute planning and who better than me, besides I haven’t seen you in forever it’ll be awesome.’_ Suki promises to come to _‘honor the fallen warriors and take a Spirits damned break from these new recruits.’_ Toph is the one that sees right through him though, having Uncle send him a letter saying ‘ _Obviously we’ll be there, Sparky, did you really think we would let you do this alone?’_

____________

It’s winter in the Fire Nation, meaning Zuko only has a few more months to finalize everything. To anyone else, this may seem like plenty of time, and, Zuko supposes it is a fair amount of time, considering the hard parts are already done, but Zuko is nervous about it nonetheless. He has a string of diplomatic trips coming up soon and preparing for them has been taking up all of Zuko’s time lately. Zuko has made a point to hold peace and reparation meetings in places that are not just the Fire Nation. It’s important to him that people feel comfortable in the meetings, and he knows it’s still hard for the other nations to be comfortable in the Fire Nation. The leaders of the nations don’t get together for meetings often, and hardly ever all in one place. But, Zuko keeps in regular contact with Chief Hakoda and his second-in-command Bato form the Southern Water Tribe, as well as Chief Arnook from the North. Communications with King Kuei are a bit more sparse, with Zuko mostly communicating with the Earth Kingdom representatives and the occasional letter from King Bumi (those are always slightly wild and a trip in and of themselves. Bumi is kind of crazy but never unreasonable and Zuko kind of loves talking to the old man). So, because they don’t get chances to meet up often, Zuko makes it a point to travel and hold meetings in the other nations at least once a year. 

Zuko’s first trip is to the Earth Kingdom, where he’s planning on spending three days in meetings with King Kuei and the Earth Kingdom representatives, and one day visiting his Uncle. He hopes he can visit Toph as well; he’s hoping for her to come to at least one of the meetings because she loves making Kuei's life difficult. Zuko knows this is the perfect time to invite the Earth Kingdom citizens to The Festival of Lights and Zuko desperately hopes he doesn’t fuck up. He always finds communicating with the Earth Kingdom a little harder. For all that they are bold and unflinching, they don’t really like to explain themselves and it drives Zuko a little crazy to be expected to know everything. Toph helps, and Suki helps, and when they are both there Zuko feels like he could do no wrong. But Suki is still on Kyoshi Island, and Zuko isn’t sure Toph is coming to any meetings so he’s on his own for now. 

Zuko lands in the Earth Kingdom and is greeted by one of the representatives, who lead Zuko and his chosen delegates to their quarters. It’s morning now, and their first meeting is set to take place in the afternoon, so Zuko tells his men to rest for now and takes some time to himself to review some more documents. Time seems to fly by, and before Zuko knows it, he and his guards and heading to the first of what he’s sure will be many grueling meetings. He enters the conference space; a wide, round room washed is a gentle beige color with green tapestries hung on the walls. 

“Earth King Kuei,” Zuko greets the man. Zuko dips his head just enough to be appropriate for the Fire Lord and still shows his respect to the Earth King. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.” 

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Kuei says, reciprocating Zuko’s slight bow. “I hope you don’t mind, but we seem to have an unexpected guest for the following days' meetings.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zuko asks apprehensively. He has a sinking feeling that things are about to get a bit more complicated. Kuei opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off by a loud bang from down the hall. Zuko twirls around to be met with the sight of Bumi banging down the hall, quite literally throwing out walls as he makes his way. 

_Oh, thank fuck,_ Zuko thinks. He struggles to hold back a smile at the look on Kuei’s face. 

“If you thought you two could hold your super-secret meetings without me, you were poorly mistaken!” Bumi yells as he bursts into the room. 

“King Bumi, as I’ve told you before, these meetings are anything but secret. All you have to do is show up,” Kuei says sighing. 

“King Bumi,” Zuko says happily. “I’m so happy you could make it. Will you be attending all of the meetings for the duration of my time here?” 

“You best believe I am, young man,” Bumi says, striding past both Kuei and Zuko. “I can’t let you two have all the fun, now can I?”

 _Well,_ Zuko thinks, _It may not be Toph but at least this promises to be interesting._

____________

The meetings are long, dull, frustrating, and Zuko is only sane at the end of them because Bumi is as loud as he is kind. Some of the Earth Kingdom representatives are _so angry_ and demand things that Zuko can’t give them, and he _understands_. He does. He knows that the Fire Nation destroyed their homes, murdered their people, and ravaged their entire lives. He knows. He gets it. But no matter how badly Zuko wants to make amends for the pain his nation has caused, he knows only time and effort, and being willing to listen is going to help. Try as he might, Zuko cannot give back all these people have lost, even though he wishes more than anything that he could. 

However, it feels sometimes that people are cruel just for the sake of trying to hurt him. And logically, he knows that it’s nothing against him personally (the little voice inside his head sometimes tells him that it _is_ just him. He firmly tells that voice to _shut the fuck up, thanks_ ) it’s just that Zuko is right there, and is the physical representation of all their pain. So because of that, he sucks it up, takes a deep breath, reigns in his temper, and _once again_ tells Ambassador Yan- 

“I understand that your people need monetary reparations as well. But I _cannot_ and _will not_ bankrupt my own people. As I’ve said before, the budget of the Fire Nation has been grossly mishandled by my predecessor. We have been working hard to allocate our resources on the home front first so that we have a solid foundation to back us up--”

“If you have the resources to help yourselves, I don’t see why you can’t just--”

“Honestly, it’s like you expect the Fire Lord to abandon his people just to appease a small fraction of the Earth Kingdom,” Bumi cuts in. “The Fire Nation has sent us enough manpower to quickly and efficiently help us rebuild the majority of the buildings and towns that have been damaged. And the farmers that have come over to help us restart the crops have been exceptionally knowledgeable and helpful.” 

“However that may be,” Yan says haughtily. Zuko knows immediately that the young man has messed up by how Bumi’s face tightens. “I still don’t see why Fire Lord Zuko cannot simply--” 

“I think that’s enough for the time being,” Bumi says flatly, all traces of good nature gone. “Today is the last day of meetings before Fire Lord Zuko must travel on to the Water Tribes, and frankly, this is getting nowhere. We have negotiated all that we will get out of each other for the time being.” 

Some of the ambassadors and representatives huff in annoyance, some breathe sighs of relief; Zuko and Kuei are firmly in the latter. 

“There is one more thing I wanted to mention,” Zuko says before he can lose his nerve. “It’s not necessarily related to anything that we’ve discussed the last few days, but I still think it’s important, nonetheless.” At the expectant looks of everyone at the table, Zuko takes a breath and continues. 

“During the first week of Spring in the Fire Nation, we are hosting what is called ‘The Festival of Lights’. It’s an old celebration, out of commission since Sozin’s time. Avatar Aang was the one who brought it to my attention.” 

Those around the table look mildly interested once he brings up Aang and Zuko jumps at the attention. “It can best be described as a celebration of what has been lost, and looking forward to what is to come. From my research, I’ve found that in the past, this was a time to honor the memory of what has been lost and to encourage hope about the future. Regardless of how this may be a Fire Nation tradition, albeit, an outdated one, I would like to formally invite all of the nations, and anyone who would like to attend, to come and celebrate with us.”

The room is quiet, absolutely silent for a beat. Bumi is the one to break it. 

“Aang told you about this, hm?” Bumi looks thoughtful. 

“Yes,” Zuko hesitates a moment. He doesn’t really like using his friendship with Aang to his advantage during these meetings, but then he remembers that Bumi was friends with Aang before any of them. “Without sharing too many of the personal details he told me, Aang said it was a celebration of life. Something that made hope stronger.” 

“The first week of Spring, you said?” Kuei asks. Zuko nods. “I’ll make sure to spread word of this around Ba Sing Se. I can’t promise that anyone will come, but people will know about it.”

“That’s all I ask,” Zuko says. “The invitation is open. No one will be turned away.” 

Bumi hums again, and Zuko looks over to him. “I will make sure to tell the people of Omashu, as well. And if you don’t mind, Kuei, I would very much like to be there as a representative of the Earth Kingdom. This certainly does seem like something that will encourage peace among us.” 

“Thank you, King Bumi,” Zuko says quietly. Honestly. 

Zuko believes he can do this. 

____________

The next day finds him sitting in Uncle's tea shop next to Toph. He’s so ridiculously grateful for this time with his friend, that he doesn’t even care that both Toph and Uncle have spent the majority of their time teasing him. 

“I’m just saying, Sparky, you set one of their robes on fire on “accident” one time and they’ll stop trying to push your buttons just for the hell of it,” Toph tells him, downing her third cup of tea. Uncle chuckles as he gleefully refills her cup. 

“I am not going to set one of them on fire, Toph,” Zuko says. “Even if it would really make me feel better.”

“Now, now, nephew,” Uncle says, refilling Zuko’s cup as well. “You know that the relief of setting a diplomat on fire would only last a minute. After that, it would be a political nightmare.”

“I say it would be worth it,” Toph maintains. “Just a little spark, nothing serious.” 

“Ah, but sparks of fire can be very dangerous, my dear Toph,” Uncle says. Zuko swears he makes his voice more mysterious on purpose these days. 

“Yeah, but just think of the look on their faces if Zuko set them on fire!” 

And well, Zuko can’t help himself after that one. “Hm, it’s a shame that you wouldn’t be able to see it, though.” 

“Zuko!” Uncle says scandalized, at the same time Zuko hisses in pain at the sharp kick to his shin from Toph. She’s smiling, though, so Zuko figures she isn’t actually mad at him. 

“That just means you’d have to put enough fire into it that he makes a scene about it, so I can really hear and sense the panic,” Toph smiles viciously. 

Zuko hums consideringly. “Or,” he says. “I do it just enough, and so sporadically, that he can barely feel it and it drives him crazy that he can’t figure out why his ass keeps burning randomly.” 

Toph cackles and Zuko smiles softly into his teacup. “I knew there was a reason you were my favorite, Sparky!”

“Can’t believe you two are planning to harass diplomats right in the middle of my well-respected tea shop,” Uncle mumbles as he stands to go back to serving his customers. The smile on his face as he turns gives him away, though. 

____________

The South Pole is cold. Zuko knew this, and prepared his crew for this, but still. It’s cold, so he’s going to complain about it. They dock at the Southern Water Tribe during midday, and Zuko steps off the boat to be immediately caught in a tackle hug by Sokka. 

“Zuko!” Sokka yells, tightening his arms around Zuko’s neck. 

“Hi, Sokka,” Zuko says, waving his guards away from where they moved to his side when Sokka launched himself at Zuko. “How have you been?”

“Oh, things are great! Communication between us and the North is getting a lot faster. Arnook isn’t as much of a dick anymore, even though I still think he doesn’t really like me. Oh, and the hunt was really good this year so, we’re actually pretty well prepared for winter.”

“Sokka,” Chief Hakoda sighs from where he’s standing off to the side. “Don’t you think you should let go of the Fire Lord and actually wait until he’s settled before talking his ear off?” 

“Absolutely not,” Sokka replies. “It’s cold as shit here, even under all these layers, and Zuko’s naturally warm with his fire-ness.” His arms stay firmly secured around Zuko. Zuko sighs because he’s learned over time to just accept Sokka’s tendency to latch onto him like a pentapus. Zuko gives Chief Hakoda a ‘what can you do?’ look and the Chief chuckles softly in return. 

“Sokka, let me go so I can greet the Chief properly, for Spirit’s sake,” Zuko pokes Sokka in the ribs until he relents and lets Zuko go with a put-upon sigh. 

“Chief Hakoda,” Zuko says, stepping away from Sokka and bowing his head to the chief. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. I hope you and your people have been well.” 

Hakoda bows back to him, saying, “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Fire Lord Zuko. And as my loudmouth of a son has already said, we’ve been doing well here. I hope the same can be said for you.” 

Zuko gives the man a small smile. “Things have been a bit hectic lately, but not in a bad way, for once,” Zuko jokes. 

Sokka throws an arm around Zuko’s shoulders, causing his guards to twitch again, but this time they stay in place. “Come on, I’ll show you around. I mean, not much has changed since the last time you’ve been, but still. I’ll give you guys the grand tour, show you where you can drop your stuff off, and then we can catch up.” 

Zuko smiles indulgently at his friend, gives Hakoda one more helpless look, and says, “Lead the way.” 

____________

Meetings at the Southern Water Tribe go smoothly, and Zuko wishes all his meetings could be this easy. He’s fully aware that he owes the ease to his close friendship with Sokka and the fact that Hakoda doesn’t hate him, and is willing to listen while Zuko explains himself and what he means. 

He’s still nervous to bring up the festival, though. 

He shouldn’t be. Not after how shockingly well it went in the Earth Kingdom, and he knows Sokka has already talked to his father about this. But, now that King Bumi has promised to come and represent the Earth Kingdom, and Zuko knows Aang will be there, Zuko knows it will all feel more complete and whole if someone of Chief Hakoda’s standing comes to represent the Water Tribes as well. 

“I know Sokka has already mentioned to you The Festival of Lights that the Fire Nation will hold soon,” Zuko says on the last day he’s in the South Pole. “But I would like to issue a formal invitation for you and any of your people who would like to come to celebrate with us.”

“Ah yes,” Hakoda says. “Sokka said that Aang mentioned it to you a while back and you’ve been working on putting it together.”

“Yes, Aang told me it was something he once saw when he was younger. We both thought, and the more I’ve been researching and putting it together, I really believe that this could be a very healing and peaceful event.”

“Aang told us about it during his last visit with Katara,” Zuko feels like Hakoda is looking straight into his soul with how intensely he’s looking at Zuko. “Some of our citizens are already thinking of attending. The only thing really stopping us from committing is that we don’t know what weather conditions will be like, and if it will be safe to travel. And, of course, If something happens that requires my attention here, I won’t be able to attend.”

“Of course,” Zuko says immediately. “As much as I would like you to come, I would never ask you to do it at risk to your people.”

Hakoda nods his head, looking like he’s thinking things through. “Have any other leaders given you a commitment of attending?”

“King Bumi told me that he would come to represent the Earth Kingdom,” Zuko says, noting how Hakoda’s eyebrows raise. “King Kuei didn’t promise to come, but he didn’t look opposed, either. I haven’t heard anything from Chief Arnook, but I do plan on issuing the official invitation when I’m there next.” 

“Well, if King Bumi has already promised to attend, I’ll make sure either myself or Bato are there to represent the Southern Water Tribe,” Hakoda tells him while giving a stern look to Bato, who raises his hands in defeat. Sokka, sitting across from Zuko, gives his father a beaming smile in support. 

“It’ll be awesome, dad, you’ll see. I already told Zuko I would be there ahead of time to help with any last-minute planning. And hey, it might help a little bit if you could send a message to Arnook ahead of time,” Sokka says. “It might help convince him to come if he knows that you or Bato _and_ King Bumi have already committed to going.” 

“Sokka, are you saying that we should try and guilt the Northern Water Tribe Chief into attending a festival that’s supposed to be about remembrance and hope?” Zuko says it teasingly, but he doesn’t want anyone to feel pressured into attending. 

Sokka rolls his eyes at him. “A little strong-arming never hurt anyone. Besides, you know he’s going to give you a hard time on purpose cause he’s an asshole--”

“Sokka!” Hakoda cuts in. 

“Sorry, but you know I’m right. Anyway, you know he’ll be a dick just cause he can, but in the end, he’ll agree. Especially if he knows he’s the last one to agree so if he doesn’t show everyone will know what a dick he is.”

Hakoda sighs and Sokka smiles brightly at him. “I’ll send him a message. Hopefully, it should arrive to him before you land, Fire Lord Zuko.” 

Zuko smiles at him thankfully. He knows Sokka’s right and that Chief Arnook, like some of the Earth Kingdom diplomats, is difficult with Zuko just because he can be. “I would very much appreciate that, Chief Hakoda. Every little bit helps.” 

Zuko leaves the South Pole after suffering through another of Sokka’s impossibly long hugs that make his guards twitch with the need to hank their Fire Lord away. Sokka chuckles at their uneasiness and purposefully pulls Zuko closer. Zuko sighs, but nonetheless, he hugs Sokka back and deals with the amused looks he’s getting from Hakoda and his men. 

“Remember, I’ll see you in a few weeks. I’ll help you with anything you need help with, and maybe you can run your speech by me, if you want,” Sokka whispers in his ear. 

“Whatever would I do without you?” Zuko says back sarcastically. If there’s an undertone of truth to it, Sokka doesn’t call him out. 

“Suffer,” he says, finally pulling back and letting Zuko go. “And definitely get fewer hugs.” 

____________

In the end, Chief Arnook agrees to attend, citing that he may as well if all the other world leaders will be in attendance. He gives Zuko shit about it, but not as much as he could have. Zuko is ridiculously grateful to Chief Hakoda for writing ahead of time, and Zuko isn’t ashamed to admit that just this once he happily used his friendship with the Avatar to his advantage. 

____________

The days leading up to The Festival of Lights are intense, and busy, and nerve-wracking. All week, citizens from the Four Nations have been arriving in their dozens. The sheer amount of people showing up from foreign countries nearly gives Zuko a panic attack. Sokka, true to his word, showed up early last week, and has taken over handing out accommodations for visitors and Zuko is stupid grateful that he’s here to help. 

“Dude,” Sokka says one day while going over some paperwork. “There are so many people. I swear, half the damned Earth Kingdom is here. And to be completely honest, there’s more people from the Northern Water Tribe than I would’ve thought. And there’s still a few days till the festival.”

“I know,” Zuko says, slightly frantic. “I didn’t think this many people would actually come. I didn’t think this many people would _care_.” 

“Hey,” Sokka says, turning to look at Zuko. “Of course people care. This is the first chance in a long time that anyone has been given the opportunity to grieve collectively and hope for a better future. Of course, people were going to jump at this chance to encourage _“peace and harmony”_ and all that other shit Aang says.” 

Zuko laughs quietly at Sokka’s, frankly terrible, impression of Aang. “The others should be here tomorrow,” Zuko says. “Aang’s last letter said they were stopping at the Earth Kingdom to pick up Toph and Suki.”

“Right,” Sokka says. “And dad and Chief Arnook are on their way. They should be here the day after tomorrow. Bumi is already here and wreaking havoc in his own special way. Everyone will be here soon.”

Zuko sighs and nods his head. Tomorrow the rest of his friends will be here. He and Aang can go talk to the Fire Sages over any last things they need to do. Zuko can ask Aang if he thinks his speech is any good. Sokka says it is, and Zuko thinks keeping things straight and to the point and _honest_ is what’s going to matter. Zuko still wants Aang’s opinion regardless. And in a few days, this will all be over. 

____________

The next morning, Appa drops down into the palace courtyard and Aang jumps off him to greet everyone. Zuko gets a quick but firm hug, as does Sokka, and soon Zuko is swarmed by his friends and their overlapped chatter. 

“Surprise!” Toph yells. “We brought Uncle with us!” At this exclamation, Uncle pops his head over Appa’s saddle and waves as he climbs down. Zuko can’t stop the smile spreading across his face as Uncle pulls him into a hug. 

It’s the warmest Zuko has felt in a while

____________

The day of the festival comes with a bang. Most of the planning and preparation has been done already, so Zuko and his friends are free to enjoy the day until a few hours before dusk, when they have to go prepare for the ceremony. Zuko opts to dress in casual robes as he roams the streets with his friends, trying to blend in as much as possible. The music is loud, food and drinks are flowing, children are laughing and even the adults are relaxing. It’s wonderful for Zuko to see his people mingling and talking with people from other nations with no animosity between them. There’s a feeling of happiness in the air, and everything feels peaceful. 

Aang is bouncing around from booth to booth, smiling and laughing. Soon enough, a group of little kids realizes that he’s the Avatar and starts hovering around him. Aang entertains them all with his tricks, flying them around and generally acting like a human playground. Katara soon joins, bending some water from a nearby pond and squirting water at them all in the afternoon heat. The children squeal with delight, and Zuko couldn’t keep the smile off his face if he tried. 

Soon after that, he gets pulled into a dance by Suki. Zuko tries to decline, but Suki gives him a _look_ and the next thing he knows, he and Suki are twirling around while Toph goads them on from the side. Katara comes in and steals Zuko away for her own dance and Suki goes to Sokka. Eventually, Zuko manages to escape to the sidelines with Toph, but not after Suki promises another dance with him later that night. 

Time flies by in the haze of joy that the day brings, and before he knows it, Zuko is pulling Aang away so they can prepare for the ceremony. In the entrance of the palace, they meet Chief Hakoda, Chief Arnook, and King Bumi, who have also been pulled away from wherever they were to dress in their formal robes and prepare themselves. Sunset is about an hour away, and Zuko’s nerves grow with each passing second. He dons his formal attire and redoes his top knot, sitting his crown atop his head. Zuko knows what is meant to happen, what they all planned out and practiced yesterday, but Zuko is still nervous. 

Just before the sun sets, Zuko will go out onto the balcony of the palace, overlooking the crowds of people. He will make his speech, and then Hakoda, Arnook, Bumi, and Aang will come out to join him. Together, they will each attach one token for their lost loved ones on a lantern, and together, Aang and Zuko will light the lantern and release it, signaling for everyone below to release theirs as well. Aang argued that Zuko should light it himself since he was the Fire Lord, but Zuko had thought it would mean more coming from both of them. 

“I can do it myself in the years to come, Aang,” Zuko had said. “But, I think for this first time in 100 years, when there is so much to be remembered and celebrated and mourned, I think we should do it together.” 

Aang had given him a watery smile and agreed, saying, “Well when you put it like that, then alright, let’s do it together.” 

Zuko heads into the room opening to the balcony, and the others are already there waiting for him. He has a few minutes max before he has to go out there, and Zuko knows his heartbeat is going crazy. 

“Just breathe,” Aang tells him. “You’ll be great, and then we’ll all be right there next to you, nothing to worry about.” Zuko huffs a small laugh and gives Aang a smile in thanks. Then, the Fire Sages introduce him, and Zuko walks out to face the crowd. 

“First, I would like to say how happy I am to see so many people from all across the nations here today to celebrate with us. This festival is meant to be a time to honor all that we have lost in the past years, and ask the Spirits to guide our lost ones in the afterlife, so they may continue on with us in our memories. We have all lost during the time of war, and now, in this time of peace, it seems only fitting that we all come together to honor and remember what we have lost. Not only that, but this festival is meant to encourage us to look towards the future, to encourage this time of peace between all of our nations. To hope for our dreams to come true and to ask the Spirits to guide us along our paths in life. To hope for a stronger future, where we all may live together in harmony. I am honored, that you have chosen to believe in this future of peace, and I hope with all my heart, that we may continue to grow together.” 

Zuko bows his head to the people as he finishes speaking, and the crowd cheers for him. Zuko feels a weight lift from his shoulders, and he smiles at his people. The sun has fully set now, the moon a bright light in the sky. He waits for them to quiet down, before reaching for his lantern and speaking again. 

“Now, I ask you all for a moment of silence, as we welcome the leaders of our nations, and prepare our lanterns.” 

The crowd goes silent, all preparing their own lanterns, and one by one Hakoda, Arnook, Bumi, and Aang come out to meet him. Chief Hakoda approaches first, attaching a small blue pendant to the lantern, whispering a soft, “For my wife.” 

King Bumi is next, attaching what looks to be a small green emerald, whispering, “For my friends.” 

Chief Arnook approaches next and also attaches a small blue pendant, this one with a different design. He whispers a quiet, “For my daughter,” as he bows his head.

Zuko attaches his own token next, an old ticket from one of the Ember Island Players that he had saved after going with his mother as a child. He attaches the ticket, whispering, “For my mother.”

They make room for Aang to attach his next, a carving of the Air Nomad symbol that he spent that past few days crafting himself. He attaches the small carving to the lantern, whispering, “For Monk Gyatso.” 

The city is so silent, one could hear a pin drop as Zuko and Aang both hold up the lantern. Carefully, together they both funnel a small flame inside the lantern to ignite it’s inside. The lantern fills with heat, and it slowly begins to float into the sky. Aang helps it along with a gentle breeze, and one by one the crowd below begins to light their own lanterns and release them into the night sky. 

Zuko and the others watch as the sky slowly but surely fills with the lit lanterns, lighting the sky with balls of light. The people below are still silent, watching in wonder as the lanterns float along the sky and head out to sea. They look like stars, bright and ethereal. Filling the sky with a soft sort of magic and stealing the breath from all who watch. There’s hundreds, maybe even thousands of them, and Zuko has never seen anything more beautiful. Beside him, Zuko hears a muffled sniffle, and he looks over to see Aang fighting tears watching the sky. Without thinking, Zuko wraps his arm around Aang’s shoulder, pulling him into Zuko’s side. Aang gasps suddenly, and Zuko pulls back to look at him to see Aang’s tattoos and eyes glowing a soft blue, looking suspiciously like his Avatar State. 

“Aang?” Zuko whispers, hesitant to speak louder in the still quiet reverence of the night. The others come a bit closer, looking at Aang with concern. Aang doesn’t seem to be paying attention though, focusing on something far away. And then all at once, Aang comes back to himself with a gasp, the blue light fading. He blinks up at them, then looks down to the crowd, who are all watching him with bated breath. Then he looks towards the sky, where the lanterns are still floating up and away. 

“The Spirits are happy,” Aang says. “They wanted to let us know that they hear us and see us now, and are happy.” 

Zuko feels his eyes sting with tears, and sees the men around him fighting off the tears as well. Aang doesn’t even try to stop the tears from flowing, a small smile on his face. Zuko pulls Aang into his side again, letting a tear roll down his cheek. 

“I’m glad,” Zuko whispers to him. “I’m glad.” 

____________

They stay on the balcony for a few more minutes, before they all silently decide to head back down to the crowd. Sokka, Katara, Suki, Toph, and Uncle are there to meet them. Katara pulls Aang into a tight hug, and Zuko can tell by looking into their eyes that everyone has been crying at least a little. Uncle pulls Zuko into a tight hug of his own, and Zuko hugs back just as strongly. It soon turns into a massive group hug, where Hakoda, Arnook, and Bumi are all pulled in as well. 

Slowly but surely, the silence lessens. People start talking to each other again, sharing stories of their loved ones, and talking about their hopes for the future. The music starts again, and people begin dancing. It gradually gets louder as people hold onto the feeling of happiness and contentment brought to them, preparing to party well into the night. Suki pulls Zuko in for his promised dance, and the rest of the group joins, laughing loudly and smiling. 

The night goes on, and the light from the lanterns fades as they burn up and eventually disappear, but the feeling of peace stays with them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all! If you've made it to the end, I appreciate it and hope you enjoyed. Feedback is always welcome! On my last fic, I left some links and references for the different things going on in the world, so I'll do the same here: 
> 
> Black Lives Matter petitions, donations and other resources [here](https://t.co/ScNVY4VxD2?amp=1<br%20/>) : https://t.co/ScNVY4VxD2?amp=1  
> If you can't donate, [here's](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlhfJSrlPNthnoD1XFDHzmdf6Mpt2pe-2&feature=share<br%20/>) a youtube playlist where all proceeds from the videos are being donated to various BLM charities: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlhfJSrlPNthnoD1XFDHzmdf6Mpt2pe-2&feature=share  
> Yemen Crisis [here](https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/<br%20/>): https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/  
> COVID-19 and others (U.S. Specific) [here](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/news/covid-19-resources-services-support): https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/news/covid-19-resources-services-support
> 
> [Here's](https://rejectscanon.tumblr.com/) my Tumblr if you want to peruse and enjoy: https://rejectscanon.tumblr.com/


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